Through thick and thin
by jaaescott
Summary: harry potter realises something happening to him, along with mr.popular. cedric diggorry. harry has a new found friend and lover.
1. apologies and talks

**Through Thick and Thin: chapter 1-First encounters and apologies.**

"Harry! Wake up; you're going to miss breakfast!" Ron said awakening Harry. Harry sat up in his bed, sweeping his fingers through his black locks.

"How'd you sleep Ron?" harry asked blearily.

"I slept rather well, and yourself? You look terrible." Ron expressed to Harry. Because his hair was a rats nest, I look like someone casted a mini-tornado through it, his skin looked a little feeble, and it was clammy when he shook him awake.

"Well, thanks for your brilliant assessment Ron. I had another nightmare. And I had to stay up late last night writing my two parchments on werewolves Snape assigned yesterday." Harry told him about the nightmare of peter Pettigrew and other figures in it.

"Wow, that's got to s-suck." Ron said while looking quite uneasy. He was sort of unsure of what to say.

"Well, it's not fun. Let's get to breakfast." He sighed and they walked to breakfast.

On their way down harry was trudging along behind Ron by a couple of steps. Harry was reading todays _Daily Prophet _edition, occasionally glancing up to see where he was going and as he was reading an article about Sirius black, his godfather, though at the time didn't know this, it was about the danger he was to the muggle world and the wizarding world. He was reading so intently he accidently bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry I didn't see you…" his voice trailed off when he seen who he was looking at.

"S'okay potter. Good luck today in the match." Cedric said in a velvety voice. It was Cedric Diggory. He was also the hufflepuff prefect. 'Mr. Popular' as everyone proclaimed him to be, he was also the hufflepuff seeker for Quidditch. Harry's rival. His gray eyes looked like an abyss of gray storm clouds, his brown short wavy locks of hair glinting in the light of the grand staircase, although it wasn't much. But it shined.

"Oh, y-you too Diggory." He smiled and waved, as he was slowly starting down towards the great hall, thinking about the upcoming Quidditch match that was coming up. He sort of forgot that they had a match against hufflepuff. So he started walking bit more boldly. Then Ron and him we're entering the great hall heading towards the Gryffindor table. Hermione was already situated with a book in hand and had a toast and an egg on her plate.

She looked up and said "good morning," she said cheerfully.

"How are you Hermione?" Ron asked while piling his plate full with food. Hermione looked at Ron rather annoyed at his constant eating.

"Oh, I'm just fine… and you two boys?" Hermione asked.

"We'll _I _had a good sleep. Can't say the same for harry though." Ron said absentmindedly. While some of the others glanced over at harry, and a couple from the other tables.

"Keep it down Ron!" harry hissed at Ron.

"Blimey harry, it's nothing to worry about." Ron whispered.

"Why what is it? Did you have another nightmare?" Hermione probed.

Harry nodded and said "The exact same one I've been having for a while now. But I don't want to discuss it here alright? I have Quidditch today and I don't want to think about it."

"Alright, alright." Hermione surrendered.

Harry started thinking about how good cedric is at Quidditch. _He's agile, steady and swift. Kind of cute to. _Harry thought quietly. _Wait, What? Merlin's beard I need more sleep and fewer nightmares. _

That night while waiting for the match to start Oliver was going over the game plan, harry was listening intently. He was explaining the pros and cons and the strategy he had. Once Oliver was finished they all started toward the field. Harry looked outside and seen the rain coming down really hard, it was a thunderstorm, although it didn't matter. The game was still on so they were going to play in this weather anyway. He looked to his right and seen cedric, he was wearing his uniform for Quidditch, harry observed the black and yellow fabric. Harry was jumping like a little kid who just gotten a gigantic bag of goodies. He was thrilled to be playing a game again.

"Good luck, out there team, and remember the game plan!" he shouted out to the rest of the team. He put his hand over Harrys shoulder and said "and potter, Diggory's good, but you're better. Good luck!" he smiled and flew off on his broom. Harry gripped his broom and hopped on; he could hear the crowd cheering on cedric as cedric flew out into the storm. Harry flew off quite fast and then he heard the crowd cheering for him. He smiled and waved at them. Then a bludger started coming toward him so fast he barely made it away from it. One of his beaters got it to hit the end of the opposing team.

After about twenty minutes his eye caught Cedric chasing the Golden Snitch around the stands as harry flew faster and faster to catch up, Cedric started speeding into the sky, harry was on his tail, then when he busted through a cloud it started getting freezing cold and cedric stopped in his trail and started his fall back down. Harry saw his chance and chased after the Snitch, he was close and then he noticed the front end of his broom starting to get a frost that sparkled in the lightning. Suddenly an umbrella flew past his head nearly hitting him he balanced back out. He started towards the Snitch accelerating as fast as he can. And he thought he saw something. No he knew he seen something fly by.

It was a Dementor, the things that protect the school. It was a horrible encounter on the Hogwarts express and professor Lupin wasn't here to save him this time, so he knew he didn't want another encounter with these creatures. And as he realized this a dementor stopped in his path and started to do something freaky. He fell off his broom and started falling, twisting and turning as he fell through the grey storm clouds at a rapid rate and as he fell through the last clouds Dumbledore casted _Arresto momentum_ to slow his rapid descent. He then blacked out.

Harry awoke in the hospital wing, and there was somebody sitting on the next bed, it was nearing nightfall, and Madame Pomfrey was tending to another boy. Cedric looked at harry and said "Oh, hi harry err, how are you? I was wondering when you were going to wake up. I wanted to apologize, I seen a dementor and I should've warned you but I was too scared. And I shouldn't have caught the snitch, when it came back down-" he was cut off by harry.

"Wait you knew?" harry demanded

"well yeah sort of, but like I said I was sorry and I was scared so I started to fall. I'm sorry harry." He sounded adequately remorseful, his grey tantalizing eyes were full of regret.

"Its okay cedric, I guess I'm fine now. Stupid dementor anyway." He smiled

Cedric smiled, but very vaguely. "so, I guess I should be going." Just before he turned to leave harry grabbed his arm and cedric was taken by surprise. "what?"

"err, d-do you want to s-stay here for a bit and talk? I'll be rather bored." He stuttered an offer to cedric.

"I guess I could." He smiled at harry and went to sit on the other bed.

Madame Pomfrey escorted the other boy to his dorm, so it was just cedric and harry in the infirmiry They talked for three hours. Harry learned that Cedric was only doing all the perfect student/prefect stunt to make his dad proud and harry told him about not liking all the attention because of Sirius Black 'mass murderer' coming for him and all. But while they talked, Harry was admiring Cedric's looks and thought _well blokes can check out other blokes, right? Because he's just goodlooking is all, I don't want to do anything with him, it's just that he would be a catch for any girl. Just because you had the urge to kiss him earlier doesn't mean anything. Nothing at all. _harry was deep in thought and almost forgot that bloke sitting across from him. And said "wait, what?" coming out of his daze.

"I said, 'So you're not the boastful type, yeah?' " cedric asked perplexed

"Pretty much, yeah." Harry said.

"We'll its pretty late and I shouldn't be going now, and you get some sleep harry. He touched harrys forearm questionably. He winked and turned to leave.

"Wait, what was that for?" harry called after him.

Cedric just shrugged and said "what was what?" he raised an eyebrow "Goodnight harry." He retreated from the room leaving harry to wonder what just happened.

The next day harry woke up and seen the lot of his friends standing over him.

Ron announced "he doesn't look to good…"

Fred just said "let's toss you from the astronomy tower and see how you look."

"probably right side better than he normally does." Harry quipped dazedly.

They all started laughing.

"so how are ya feelin?" George asked

"Quite brilliant actually." Harry said, recalling the events of his hours spent with cedric, though he asked even though he knew "so how'd it go? Like who won?"

"Err, harry no one blames you. But it was hufflepuff-" Hermione started to say but was cut off by Ron.

"-yeah that stupid Hufflepuff seeker caught the snitch… but it isn't your fault harry. And when you fell of your broom it fell and broke in half." Ron stated holding up Harry's nimbus 2000, it was split in half, and it was scratched and holes put in it. It also had a peculiar twist that somehow got put into it.

"Merlin's beard it got wrecked didn't it?" harry sighed knowing he had to go get a new broom.

"Yeah, it did." George said sort of smirking.

"well, does someone want to give me my clothes so I could change?" harry requested.

"oh, here you go." Hermione handed him a black long-sleeved fleece, and a sort of colorless grey pant's that bore a resemblance to Cedric's startlingly grey stormy eyes. Once he was changed he slipped on his Gryffindor robe and they headed to breakfast. When they got to the Gryffindor table in the great hall. he felt a lot of eyes fixed on him when he walked by, but not with disgust. Well from Slytherin of course. Probably wishing he'd died that yesterday. Harry looked back and seen Cedric and his group staring at his back along with some other people from the Ravenclaw table as well. They looked away quickly and started to fork their eggs and bacon into their mouths. Cedric was nibbling on some toast.

When harry sat down he just started eating his breakfast.

And that was the last time Cedric paid any attention to Harry for the rest of his third year at Hogwarts.


	2. Unintended Kisses

**Disclaimer: I own no characters mentioned or described in this series.**

_Through Thick and Thin – chapter 2: Kisses, Quidditch, and Death Eaters._

"Harry… Harry!" Hermione loudly susurrated while shaking Harry awake with one arm while carrying a candle holder that was doing its purpose pretty well, seeing as how the candle was shaking tremendously. Harry's eyes flung open, he was sweltering in bed, and he shot up and looked around the room bewildered. He quickly reached for his glasses on the nightstand beside his bed. When he put on his glasses he looked at Hermione. "Are you alright?"

"Hermione!" harry said shocked, "It was a bad dream. When did you get here?" harry inquired.

"Just now, you?" the fluffy haired girl said.

"Last night." He said,

"Wake up, wake up Ronald!" she woke Ron. Ron looked almost frightened at the sight of Hermione being there when he didn't have his shirt on so he pulled the covers over his chest.

"Oh, bloody hell Hermione!" The redhead cried at Hermione.

"Honestly, get dressed! And don't go back to sleep." Hermione chided to the teenagers. Harry brushed his scar, feeling pain approaching from it. Hermione exhaled, "Come on Ron! Your mum said breakfast is ready!" Ron just collapsed back in his pillow and shut his eyes. Harry sat up and put on some replacement clothes on. Harry put on his outfit on behalf of the Quidditch world cup they were off to later tonight. Before he headed downward he quavered Ron awake over again, telling him to get decent. He went down stairs and was welcomed by Ms. Weasly, "Good morning Harry, how are you feeling today?" she said as cheery as always when she greeted Harry.

"Good morning, quite excellent actually and yourself?" Harry answered politely with a gracious smile towards Molly, appreciative that they made him feel like family whenever he was here. It made him feel like he had something close to a family. He sat down to eat breakfast there was, pancakes, oatmeal, toast and pumpkin juice, there were condiments set out for the pancakes, Harry chose to butter his pancakes and put some strawberries with the juices, and Molly topped it off with a tremendous amount of whipped cream; the oatmeal had all the condiments for the flavour in the middle of the table. He never had meals like this in little whinging. He was the one assembling the breakfasts, he was jumping inside like a little kid on Christmas morning, accept he couldn't wait for the Quidditch world cup.

Hermione looked at harry and grinned,

As soon as they finished breakfast, he, Ron, Mr. Weasly, Hermione, Ginny and the twins headed out on a winding trail. Outside the sun were glinting golden rays of the morning dew of the grass which sparkled like diamonds. The trees gave shade from the overly warm rays of the golden sun. As they started walking Harry asked,

"Where are we going exactly?"

"I don't know I'll ask dad." Ron answered, "Dad? Where are we going?" he questioned his father.

"End of the forest, Keep up!" Mr. Weasly boomed back at them.

As they were walking along the trail in the forest harry noticed the sky turning a gloomy grey, and they didn't walk too far when they met up with Amos Diggory.

"Arthur! Well it's about time you got 'ere."

"I'm sorry Amos… Some of us had a sleepy start." Mr. Weasly glanced back at Harry and Ron.

"This is Amos Diggory everybody, he and I work at the ministry." someone had jumped out of a tree. Harry knew exactly that this was coming once they met with Amos. It was his son Cedric. Harry had grown quite fond of him last year, but only as friends, but rarely talked much after their lengthy exchange in the hospital wing after their Quidditch competition against each other. Harry was now dreading the thought of having cedric imminent presence with them. The raven haired boy furrowed his eyebrows wondering what cedric was doing up in that tree. He intersected his arms against his chest and muttered a curse under his breath.

"This strapping young man must be cedric!" Mr. Weasly identified, shaking Cedrics hand.

"Yes." Mr. Diggory confirmed grasping Cedrics neck. Looking immensely proud to the father of a stuck-up snob. The father of Mr. Popular. Harry wondered why Cedric evaded him the past year after he apologized, and their extensive discussion. He kind of grew irritated with Cedric wouldn't talk to him for the remainder of his third year, after they talked for hours. Harry looked at Hermione and Ginny, they giggled at the manifestation of the upperclassmen prefect.

As they started hiking, harry noticed Cedric starting to slow down his pace to talk to Harry, which annoyed Harry. Cedric started out with a simple,

"Hey," he glanced at the ground, then back at Harry

Harry solemnly said back, "hey,"

"So… you excited for the world cup?" Cedric enquired.

"Uh, yeah." Harry said not meeting the prefect's gaze that he felt on his side.

"Yeah me too, so how have you been?" The upperclassmen sputtered at Harry In a smooth tone.

"I've been goo-" he wasn't giving attention to where he was hiking because, just then he sprawled on a root that was spiking out of the ground, and as he was dwindling he felt cedric grasp his arm and but Harry had too much force and dragged Cedric down with him. Before they landed Harry spun around and Cedric landed on the front of Harry's body. Harry could impression Cedrics muscles that were on his body, his perfectly sculpted pecks, and his perfect six pack of abs. but then Harry heard everyone laughing and he pushed a Chuckling Cedric off of him, and stood up. He walked away in a huff.

They started to near a hilltop and observed everyone gathering around a manky old boot. He glanced at Cedric who had a smug grin plastered over his face, it seemed that he was trying to get under Harrys skin, which probably wasn't the case. He turned around and then questioned absent mindedly,

"Why is everyone standing around that manky old boot?"

"That isn't just any manky old boot mate, that's a porhkey" Fred announced.

"A port key?" harry asked, but never got an answer just an instruction to put his hand on the boot, he did as he was told so, as soon as he touched it the world soon started to swirl faster and faster around them, or were they spinning up into the air? Harry knew one thing, which was that they were suddenly in what looked like a wormhole to him, and it wasn't unusual in the wizarding world. Suddenly The old redheaded father of Ron shouted at them, "Let go!" harry wasn't very excited, but he did as asked and let go, everyone was hurled in a different direction, and harry landed very hard on the solid ground, he winced and rolled over only to see a trio of Amos, Mr. Weasly and cedric what it looked like walking on air, towards them. Cedric landed by harry and offered a hand for him to take. He took it with a half-smile of thankfulness on his mouth. Harry uttered a, "thanks" as he got up off the ground.

Cedric smugly said "second time today, eh potter?" he chuckled.

Harry couldn't help but laugh, he knew Cedric meant well by that. So he enjoined the laughter. Everyone ran ahead of them, so Cedric said, "So who are you rooting for? I'm rooting for Bulgaria."

Harry quickly said, "Definitely Bulgaria, they're going to kill it." Harry laughed. Harry concluded that Cedric was probably just not talking to him because he did have a busy load and was busy with his many other friends so he didn't have time for harry last year. Ha marveled at Cedrics deep grey eyes, Harrys emerald green eyes wandered over to Cedrics chest absentmindedly while the brunette boy was looking the other way. Harry noted that cedric was a pretty decent looking bloke, harry thought _**oh, god**__**he is gorgeous, wait what? Oh blimey, you need sleep Potter... **_

He started to get into an argument with himself unwillingly, _**oh, you're not tired and you know it, you like him… Shut up just shut up I'm not like that, I like girls! Yes you are, you just thought he was gorgeo**__-_ his thought was cut off from his thought argument with himself by cedric exclaiming,

"Look!" and he was pointing at a field of people, with tents set up everywhere, they were on top of hilltop looking over that, there were people flying around on broomsticks. Cedric marveled at it all, as if absorbing as much as he can, he smile and put his thumb through his backpack and said, "uh hey harry, see you later, gotta catch up to my dad."

"Uh, okay, s-see you later," Harry sputtered at Cedric walking away, he was wondering why he was thinking cedric was gorgeous. But he just shrugged it off and walked ahead to Mr. Weasly and the lot, everyone penetrated into a tent which looked impossible for everyone to fit into! Harry arrived inside the tent and was perplexed at how the tent got so big as he entered it. It was huge, almost as big as a house. "I love magic!" he expressed.

"Undetectable extension charm." Hermione specified for harry smiling pleased at her knowledge as always.

He unloaded his stuff and followed the twins outside, wondering what monkeyshines they were going to get into. So he went out and was followed by his redhead friend Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Harry noticed that they weren't following him; they were getting buckets full of water, harry asked, "what are you guys doing?" George graciously answered his question,

"We made up a game, called buckets of water," George illuminated harry, "and the first and last person to get splashed has to kiss for 5 minutes, there will be a glowing blue orb on the losers who have to kiss, and if you don't kiss within three minutes, water will start to pour on you until you kiss. Sounds good?"

"Err, I'm not sure, but okay… I guess," Harry cracked a half grin and started to fill his bucket with liquid. When he was done the twins announced in unison,

"Ready! GO!" everyone started hurtling themselves in opposite directions, Harry ran towards the trees so he could hide, however he hadn't detected Hermione run up ahead and hide behind a tree. He ran and was caught off guard, Hermione laughed and she heaved her bucket water at the black haired boy , who was astonished at the fact that Hermione was that cunning, or he just wasn't smart enough. As the water soaked him, he was encased in a circular orb of blue light.

"Dammit!" Harry cursed.

"Ha-ha, harry it's alright. Just pray you don't get one of the boys!" she giggled at the thought of harry kissing a boy. The Gryffindor awkwardly smiled because he actually thought of Cedric at that moment which was a little confusing to him. Though he went and tried to catch someone else. So he went to hide behind a tree and waited for someone to come, so he could splash them. After about three minutes of waiting he heard the leaves crunching under someone's feet, he thought it was Ginny or Hermione. He waited for them to get closer and closer, closer and when it sounded like they were a foot away harry jumped out and quickly hurled his water, he made a blunder, by mistaking this guy for a girl. It was none other than Cedric Diggory, and harry had splashed him, he must've been the last person caught, because he was surrounded by a bright blue orb. Harry was feeling a lot of regret for joining this idiotic game, the first words to leave the hufflepuff mouth was a demand,

"What in the hell is going on!"

"Cedric I'm so sorry, it's this game and-" harry said remembering he has to kiss Cedric in three minutes or else they'll be soaked in a wrenching cold shower of rain. The adolescent clutched Cedric by the arm and pulled him toward the rest of them. And demanded,

"Why is Cedric glowing?"

"Oh it doesn't matter who is playing, it's whoever is in the area set for the game. Cedric you were in the wrong place and the wrong time." Fred had looked pained to keep in his laugh. His faced contorted in to a tight smile. And then they all busted out laughing, except for Harry and Cedric who were looking very upset on this. At that moment a grey storm cloud started forming over their heads and started to pour bitter cold, water.

"Can you stop this?" Cedric said, teeth chattering and trembling from the cold.

"No mate, only you and Harry can!" Ron proclaimed while laughing.

"How?" he shouted.

"You have to kiss for five minutes." Harry declared looking down at the ground.

"What?" Cedric said appalled at this.

"it's the only way mate, now get to it or those clouds will only pour even more colder water by the minute!" announced the redhead twin George.

"Well, come on then! Five minutes that's it. No one is going to say anything anyway," Hermione assured them.

Cedric looked at Harry and said "Fine." He grabbed harry and pulled his face towards his, and their lips embraced, and Cedric's lips parted enough for his tongue to get through. Harry poked his tongue out to meet Cedrics. Harry's upperclassmen had run his fingers through his raven coloured hair. Harry had huffs of breath coming out of his nose. Harry was lost in the kiss, he knew he wanted this. He just couldn't admit it to himself. He wanted to feel Cedrics body on his, he wanted his fellow student to kiss him. He wanted what was happening. He wanted Cedric to want him, the way he wanted Cedric. He felt Cedric pull away and, see the cloud clear from the tops of their heads. Cedric looked at harry and gave a confused look. He looked back at everyone and said, "I-I got to go!" he walked away in a huff. Harry stood there in a daze, apprehending the situation of what just happened. He stared blankly at the path Cedric had left just minutes ago. Everyone went and got a towel inside of the tent and dried off, harry thought to himself _**do I like what just happened? No, not really, who knows… maybe a little. It was sort of exhilarating! But I'm not a shirt lifter! **_ He just decided to push that thought to the back of his mind, so he could focus on Quidditch.

That night everyone was celebrating the major win of Bulgaria. They heard a big commotion outside and assumed it was people celebrating. Mr. Weasly looked outside of the tent and came back with a worried look washed over his features, and demanded, "Everybody get your stuff, we have to get back to the port key!" everyone had worrisome looks on their faces. The Boy Who Lived gathered his things and ran outside of the tent with Hermione and Ron. He observed that everyone wasn't screaming for the win of Bulgaria, it was because hooded figures were demolishing the campsites. The golden trio stared running for it and harry got pulled into the churn of the screaming witches and wizards. He lost Hermione and Ronald. He looked for them everywhere so he went running for a tent forgetting where the portkey was. The raven haired teen laid there facing a dark abyss towards the other side of the campsite where everyone was already gone. Harry laid there for about twenty minutes when he heard footsteps, coming toward his direction, he quickly sat up, and pulled out his wand, he peered around the tent and, "Stupefy!"

"Whoa, watch out!" cried a silky voice. Harry knew it was Cedric right away. Harry sort of relieved gasped and wailed, "You scared me half to death!"

"We need to get somewhere else! Let's go to the woods! When I was walking out there before you splashed me I seen a little burrow, we could hide in there," Cedric whispered rapidly, panting.

"Okay, on the count of three, we dash for it! One, two, three!" Harry and Cedric flew straight for the forest and they had to jump over a few of stumps and fallen trees. Harry had scraped himself on the outside of his calves; he winced and limped rapidly alongside Cedric, deeper into the woods. They finally stopped beside a hole that was most likely dug by some creature for housing from harsh weathers. They climbed inside and they stood there in a silence, harry furrowed his brow in confusion and whispered a question to Cedric,

"Who's attacking?" the fourth year was breathing heavily, he was just one foot away, harry could feel the warmth of his silenced breathing. The sixth year answered meeting Harrys emerald gaze,

"They're death eaters… bad witches and wizards. They follow You Know Who." A visible shudder fell over his body at the thought of You Know Who. He looked at harry and gave him an assuring look that it'll be alright. Well that's what harry perceived it to be. Cedric looked away and started fidgeting with a little twig, and then on the peripherals of his vision he noticed Harry's eyes on him. he jerked his head towards harry and fixed his stormy gaze on the gentle green gaze, for a few seconds and the atmosphere changed abruptly by a twig snapping, they both froze in a quiet position and waited for the person to pass. Unfortunately the footsteps were getting closer and closer. Cedric got a worried expression on his face, as well as the raven haired boy. Cedric gave Harry a look like he was saying _Attack? _, the youth nodded. And Cedric slowly raised his wand from his pocket and shot upward and yelled, "Stupefy!" he ducked back down and clasped Harry's hand. An energized blast flew over top of the two boys. Cedric stood up and yelled "Stupefy!" At that instance Harry seen a blast heading toward him and then blackness swarmed his emerald pupils as he was falling and passing out he felt someone catch him mid-fall, then total blackness enveloped his very sight.

**A/N: I would like to update weekly so review and tell me which day of the week you would like to see new chapters. I have exams from today till Wednesday and will have a lot of free time to write throughout the summer. Hopefully I could update every few days so I could finish the story. So thanks for reading, and please review.**


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